A Moment of Weakness

“Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, ‘I am pregnant.’” 
2 Samuel 11:2-5       

“Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. He had written in the letter, saying, ‘Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.’”  2 Samuel 11:14-15

“Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.”  2 Samuel 11:26-27

“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.’”  Samuel 12:13-14

The fifty-first Psalm is a contrite sinner’s prayer for pardon and contains a meaningful pattern for the repentant person to follow. These are the elements of true confession. The writer is under the heavy conviction for his sin. He takes personal responsibility for his sin. He is likewise convicted that his sin was ultimately against God. He fully admits his guilt.

Then when guilt is admitted, David asks God to cleanse him from sin. “Purify me...wash me...blot out all my iniquities” (Psalm 51:7, 9). Then comes what is probably the heartfelt core of this sinner’s prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:10-12).

Rejoice that we have a God Who has made a way for our sins to be completely forgiven; a God Who forgives and forgets; a God Who loves unconditionally and receives every repentant son and daughter.